I said, 'Neither of the above, Mrs. Clark. I'm sorry.'
Then I went back down the walk and shooed Pearl out of the driver's seat and got in and drove away.
Chapter 40
I WAS GETTING CONFLICTING STORIES, and I needed another opinion. So I was back with Jared in the Bethel County Jail. Nobody wanted me there, least of all Jared. But Healy spoke to somebody, and there I was.
'I understand a lot of kids bullied you in school,' I said.
Jared shrugged.
'That true?' I said.
'No. Nobody bothered me much.'
He snickered.
First snicker of the day.
'Kids didn't pick on you?'
'No.'
'They friendly?' I said.
'They didn't see me.'
'You a loner?' I said.
'Yeah.'
'You like that?' I said.
'I like being a loner,' he said.
Snicker.
'I understand you were big into computers and the Internet,' I said.
Jared shrugged again and snickered again.
'True?' I said.
'Computers are for losers,' he said.
'You didn't use one?'
'No.'
'Ever?' I said.
'No,'
Snicker.
'You get along okay with Dr. Blair?' I said.
He didn't do anything, that I could see. But I had a sudden sense of something closing down.
'Sure,' he said.
'You see her much?'
'Some.'
'She says she couldn't help you much because you wouldn't talk to her about things,' I said.
'Fuck her,' Jared said.
'Did you talk with her about things?'
'Ask her,' Jared said.
'I did. She says you wouldn't.'
'Fuck her,' he said.
I mouthed it silently along with him.
'You get along good with Dell?' I said.
'Sure.'
'You like him?'
'Sure.'
'Why'd you start hanging out with him?' I said.
'He was cool.'
'What made him cool?' I said.
Jared shrugged.
'He was just cool,' Jared said.
